TargetTalk

There was a post a couple of days ago about converting a CO2 pistol to air that did not yield as good of groups as the pistol shot when it was a CO2 pistol. The made me wonder if anyone has tested different brands and weights of pellets in their LP10 air to see if some worked better than others. I considered getting some of each and running my own tests but if I could get a consensus on three of four types/brands that work well for someone else in the gun that would be a place to start. Thanks, Isabel

OK, the brunch champagne hasn't kicked in yet, so I'll offer my ornery opinion.

1. The accuracy requirements for air pistol are really not that stringent.
2. The testing set-up must be very good (none of this sandbag crap).
3. Other than the really garbage pellets you won't find a big (read useful) difference in pellets.
4. Never mind 5 or 10 shots groups; go right to 25.
5. Both our host (go to pilkguns.com) and Don Nygord say don't bother.

Of course, I have tested some guns and found the above to be true, BUT...on rare occasion I've found that a particular pellet for some unknown reason does rather poorly (and not just cheap ones).

One surprise I received was how well the low priced RWS Hobby pellets performed (half match pellet prices), especially in the lower power guns. Another good performer was RWS Basic which are even cheaper than Hobbys.

Bottom line: Unless you are Master Class trying to eke out another point or two, don't bother with testing or Match pellets. (Of course, if it makes you feel better......)

Exactly : if you put anything decent through it, it'll go where you point it.

And let me add that any info anyone gives you on results for his LP10 will most likely not apply to yours. The guns are not identical and the batches that he/she tested will likely not be the batches that you test.

I have so far successfully resisted the temptation to test pellets in my AP, and spent the time practicing.

That is pretty much what i thought. I am getting great results with the Vogel pellets and I assumed the RWS Pistol match would be just a good or better? Now that I have the LP10 I don't need to even leave the house anymore. UPS brings the pellets and the targets and I have been standing in my dining room all day shooting into the spare bathroom. The Scuba tank sits in the corner. Too bad I have to go to work five days a week. :-)
Isabel

Blasted work. It interferes with my practice schedule, too.

In these times, you should be happy that you are (still) working :-)

Yes, I am pretty happy that I still have a job but I have deliberately settled for less money and staying in a low tax state in order to have more job security. Also I will probably continue to work five to ten years longer than I had planned upon because my 401k is taking a serious beating in the market. Isabel.

Isabel (as guest) wrote:Also I will probably continue to work five to ten years longer than I had planned upon because my 401k is taking a serious beating in the market.

The numbers may change from country to country but I suspect the sentiment is the same wherever you are ;-(

Just a reminder, for anyone that digs this type of discussion, Scott Pilkington had a great article in the USA Shooting magazine an issue or two ago about this. The summary was: Rifle? By all means, do so. But don't bother for pistol. The 10 ring is so relatively large compared to the grouping deviations.

I think Fred as the ideal perspective. Use the time you were going to use testing pellets and practice. That'll reduce your grouping sizes.

Another point that I have yet to see mentioned on this topic is that the slight variance in groupings from your pistol *might* give you a 9 instead of a 10 from a shot every year or so... but that same variance is statistically just as likely to give you a 10 instead of a 9!

If you're a the type that believes you can beat the odds in Vegas, the slight variances from your pellets would be a benefit more times than it would be a detriment ;)

Oz

Oz wrote:Another point that I have yet to see mentioned on this topic is that the slight variance in groupings from your pistol *might* give you a 9 instead of a 10 from a shot every year or so... but that same variance is statistically just as likely to give you a 10 instead of a 9!

Does this mean that if I normally shoot a high number of 9.8s I would be better using "larger grouping" pellets as they might convert to 10s or 9.6s. I could only improve my (non-decimal) score.

Conversely, if I normally shoot a high number of 9.1s I must use really good pellets as the larger grouping ones might convert to a 9.3 or an 8.9.

That would mean that the better shooter must use worse pellets (for his pistol) than the worse shooter; that's freaky.

(It also means that I've had a long hard day and my brain might be going into melt-down)

David Levene wrote:

Oz wrote:Another point that I have yet to see mentioned on this topic is that the slight variance in groupings from your pistol *might* give you a 9 instead of a 10 from a shot every year or so... but that same variance is statistically just as likely to give you a 10 instead of a 9!

Does this mean that if I normally shoot a high number of 9.8s I would be better using "larger grouping" pellets as they might convert to 10s or 9.6s. I could only improve my (non-decimal) score.

Conversely, if I normally shoot a high number of 9.1s I must use really good pellets as the larger grouping ones might convert to a 9.3 or an 8.9.

That would mean that the better shooter must use worse pellets (for his pistol) than the worse shooter; that's freaky.

(It also means that I've had a long hard day and my brain might be going into melt-down)

LOL!!! YES! Better yet, when you know you're going to release a poor shot, use a poorly matched (for your gun) pellet. There's a 50% chance it might help. Let's not talk about the other 50% ;)

Oz

Poorly matched by about 0.5 - 1 ring though, you dont want to go out the other side of the 10!

Actually . . .

Assuming the pellet-contributed error is circular (reasonable)

and assuming the scoring rings are circular (reasonable)

then

large pellet error does *not* have a 50-50 chance of giving you a "better" vs. "worse" result.

Depending on the size of the circles, the "better" result probability is less than 50%, and the "worse" result probability is greater than 50%.

The larger the ring sizes are relative to the CEP size, you *approach* a 50-50 split (infinite target ring, and point size of pellet error will give you the closest to 50-50).

Anyhow, get a compass and throw some pellet-error circles against he face of a target and you'll see what I am saying.

Sorry about interjecting the "buzz kill" sentiment . . .

Ahhh...just shoot the damn thing.